President of the Confederate States of America
The President of the Confederate States of America is the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president is at the head of the executive branch of the federal government, whose role is to enforce national law as given in the Constitution and written by Congress. Article Two of the Constitution establishes the president as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically granted to the president, including the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by both houses of Congress, to create a Cabinet of advisors, to grant pardons or reprieves, and, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate, to make treaties and appoint federal officers, ambassadors, and federal judges, including Justices of the Supreme Court. As with officials in the other branches of the Confederate States government, the Constitution restrains the president with a set of checks and balances designed to prevent any individual or group from taking absolute power. The president is elected indirectly through the Confederate States Electoral College to a Six year term, with a limit of two terms imposed by the Third Amendment to the Constitution. Under this system, each "State" is allocated a number of electoral votes, equal to the size of the state's delegation in both houses of Congress combined. Under the terms of the ??? Amendment to the Constitution the District of Columbia also receives a number of electoral votes "equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State". Voters in nearly all states choose a presidential candidate through the plurality voting system, whom then receives all of that state's electoral votes. A simple majority of electoral votes is needed to become president; if no candidate receives that many votes, the election is thrown to the House of Representatives, which votes by state delegation. While in office, the White House in Washington, D.C. serves as the place of residence for the president. The president is also entitled to use its staff and facilities, including medical care, recreation, housekeeping, and security services. One of two Boeing VC-25 aircraft, which are extensively modified versions of Boeing 747-200B airliners, serve as long distance travel for the president, and are referred to as Air Force One while the president is on board. A salary of $400,000, along with other benefits, is paid to the president annually. The Confederate States, when it was the United States was the first country to create the office of president as head of state of a modern republic. Since the adoption of the Constitution, 21 presidents (not counting the Presidents of the United States) have been elected or succeeded into the presidency, the first being Jefferson Davis. The current president is George W. Bush, inaugurated on January, 1998 to a first term and on January, 2005 to a second. His term expires at noon on January 20, 2011, after which he will be replaced by the winner of the 2010 presidential election. From the middle of the twentieth century, the Confederate States' status as a superpower has led the American president to become one of the world's most well-known and influential public figures. C.S. presidential elections are regarded by many as events of international as well as national significance and are closely followed in many places around the world. Category:GOVERNMENT